Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0043352 (xerostomia)
 4,250 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Nearly one-half of the most frequently reported and most distressing symptoms in patients with advanced cancer are gastrointestinal in nature. This prospective study was designed to assess the frequency of gastrointestinal symptoms among inpatients admitted to a palliative medicine program with advanced cancer. Twenty-nine men and 2l women, with a median age of 64 years (range, 35-84), were interviewed about 17 gastrointestinal symptoms. Age, gender, diagnosis, and medication use were also recorded The most common diagnoses were cancers of the lung (n = 14), breast (n = 6), and prostate (n = 4). Dry mouth (84 percent), weight loss (76 percent), early satiety (71 percent), taste change (60 percent), constipation (58 percent), anorexia (56 percent), bloating (50 percent), nausea (48 percent), abdominal pain (42 percent), and vomiting (34 percent) were the 10 most common gastrointestinal symptoms. Women had more gastrointestinal symptoms than men (median 8 vs. 6, p = 0.018), although this finding was not statistically significant (p = 0.11) after excluding gender-specific cancers. Women had more taste change and diarrhea than men after excluding gender-specific cancers (p = 0.036 and p = 0.046, respectively). Those with primary gastrointestinal cancers (n = 8) had more indigestion and hiccups than those with nongastrointestinal cancers (n = 39). There was no age difference in symptomatology. The drugs prescribed most commonly were opioids (n = 40), laxatives (n = 38), H2 blockers (n = 29), appetite stimulants (n = 29), and antiemetics (n = 29). Findings support that gastrointestinal symptoms are very common in hospitalized patients with advanced cancer and that the frequency and type of symptoms differ with gender and gastrointestinal vs. nongastrointestinal primary site.
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PMID:Gastrointestinal symptoms among inpatients with advanced cancer. 1226 82

Rampant caries is one of the hallmarks of chronic methamphetamine abuse. "Meth" is a potent central nervous system stimulant with physical and psychological effects similar to cocaine. It is the author's opinion that the caries associated with methamphetamine abuse is related to three risk factors: 1) xerostomia caused by the drug; 2) a subsequent increase in sugared soft drink consumption; and 3) lack of oral hygiene during extended periods of abuse. Patients in this risk group usually present for treatment due to severe pain. However, they may be reluctant to discuss their illegal drug habit. Anorexia may also be present. Treatment includes cessation of drug abuse, oral hygiene, restrictions on sugar intake, and daily fluoride supplementation. Such patients tend to exhibit poor compliance with treatment recommendations or fail to show for appointments.
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PMID:Caries associated with methamphetamine abuse. 1227 5

A prospective study was carried out in the only tertiary oncology department in Oman to analyse the pattern of various prognostic factors in terminally ill cancer patients and their impact on these patients. Between September 1999 and February 2001, terminally ill cancer patients with solid tumours who fulfilled the eligibility criteria were included. All of them were coded Do Not Resuscitate (DNR). Clinical estimation of survival as well as recording of different symptoms and signs was carried out for each patient. Survival was calculated from the date of the DNR coding to the date of death. A total of 162 patients were included. Mean survival time was 41.5 days (median 10 days). The gastrointestinal tract (GIT) was the most common site of malignant disease, followed by the breast. Univariate analysis of evaluable patients showed that performance status (PS), dry mouth, presence of delirium, anorexia, peripheral oedema, absence of bone metastasis, low lymphocyte count and low albumin level had significant effects on survival. Multiple regression analysis showed that PS and oedema were the only independent predictors of survival. Clinical prediction of survival was correlated with observed survival. Patient's PS, presence of peripheral oedema and clinical estimate of survival are good predictors of survival in terminally ill cancer patients.
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PMID:Clinical estimation of survival and impact of other prognostic factors on terminally ill cancer patients in Oman. 1252 51

Stimulants are a highly efficacious and safe treatment for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), with 75% to 90% of patients responding well if two different stimulants (amphetamine and methylphenidate) are used. Nonetheless, a subset of ADHD patients will either fail to respond to stimulants or have side effects that preclude their use (tics, severe loss of appetite, marked insomnia). For such patients, there are a number of non-stimulant agents that serve as second-line treatments. Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) are the most studied of these drugs. They are superior to placebo in the treatment of ADHD and may reduce abnormal movements in patients with ADHD/tic disorder. TCAs often produce side effects of sedation, dry mouth, and constipation. Bupropion is superior to placebo in the treatment of ADHD and has a more favorable side-effect profile than the TCAs. A new selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, atomoxetine, has been shown to be efficacious in the treatment of ADHD and has recently received an approvable letter from the Food and Drug Administration. The a-agonists clonidine and guanfacine have also been used as alternative agents in ADHD, though the controlled data are more limited. A recent controlled clinical trial suggests a combination of methylphenidate and clonidine has advantages in the treatment of comorbid ADHD and tics over either medication alone. Clinical guidelines for each of these agents, as well as their use in combination with stimulants in comorbid conditions, will be discussed.
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PMID:Non-stimulant treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. 1267 40

With the aim of preventing, or at least limiting, malnutrition in patients suffering from cancer, they should receive appropriate nutritional advice before, during and after treatment. Such problems as loss of appetite, nausea, gustatory disturbances, dry mouth, etc., may be ameliorated by specific counseling. Enteral liquid diets and commercially available baby food products offer a good alternative to normal diet, or may be used to supplement it. Such supplements as vitamin and/or mineral tablets, and vegetable and fruit concentrates should only be used selectively and for well-founded indications. The metabolic situation in cachectic patients is not particularly amenable to oral nutritional measures. A fat-rich diet is recommended. The administration of pharmacological doses of omega-3 fatty acids may offer some benefit.
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PMID:[Nutrition counseling in tumor cachexia so patients will eat better]. 1268 93

Large numbers of persons in most types of healthcare settings have palliative care needs that have considerable impact on their quality of life. Therefore, InterRAI, a multinational consortium of researchers, clinicians, and regulators that uses assessment systems to improve the care of elderly and disabled persons, designed a standardized assessment tool, the Resident Assessment Instrument for Palliative Care (RAI-PC). The RAI-PC can be used for both the design of individual care plans and for case mix and outcomes research. Some elements of this instrument are taken from the resident assessment instrument (RAI) mandated for use in all nursing homes in the United States and widely used throughout the world. The RAI-PC can be used alone or in counjunction with the other assessment tools designed by the InterRAI collaboration: the RAI for homecare (RAI-HC), for acute care (RAI-AC), and for mental health care (RAI-MH). The objective of this study was to field test and carry out reliability studies on the RAI-PC. After appropriate approvals were obtained, the RAI-PC instrument was field tested on 151 persons in three countries in more than five types of settings. Data obtained from 144 of these individuals were analyzed for reliability. The reliability of the instrument was very good, with about 50 percent of the questions having kappa values of 0.8 or higher, and the average kappa value for each of the eight domains ranging from 0.76 to 0.95. The 54 men and 95 women had a mean age of 79 years. Thirty-four percent of individuals suffered pain daily. Eighty percent tired easily; 52 percent were breathless on exertion; and 19 to 53 percent had one or more other symptoms, including change in sleep pattern, dry mouth, nausea and vomiting, anorexia, breathlessness at rest, constipation, and diarrhea. The number of symptoms an individual reported increased as the estimated time until death declined. The "clinician friendly" RAI-PC can be used in multiple sites of care to facilitate both care planning and case mix and outcomes research.
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PMID:The RAI-PC: an assessment instrument for palliative care in all settings. 1278 43

The purposes of this study were to explore symptom distress, catastrophic thinking (catastrophizing) and hope, and factors predicting hope in Taiwanese nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients within 3 years of receiving radiation therapy (RT). Instruments used were the modified Symptom Distress Scale, disease catastrophizing scale (modified from Coping Strategies Questionnaire), and Herth's Hope Index. Adult NPC patients (N = 115; 33 undergoing RT, 44 who completed RT within 1 year, and 38 who completed RT more than 1 year but less than 3 years) were recruited from an outpatient RT center in Northern Taiwan. Although participants' overall symptom distress was mild to moderate, they scored moderate level for several distressful symptoms: dry mouth, fatigue, hearing difficulty, loss of appetite, insomnia, and pain. Patients undergoing RT had greater symptom distress than subjects in the other 2 groups. Regression analysis revealed that catastrophizing was the only predictor of hope. Patients who engaged in catastrophizing reported much lower levels of hope. Particular care and attention are recommended to help NPC patients deal with the top distressful symptoms listed. Nursing interventions to reduce catastrophic thinking and enhance hope are discussed.
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PMID:Symptom distress, catastrophic thinking, and hope in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients. 1502 80

Symptom management requires an understanding of the likely cause of the symptom in the individual patient, comprehensive assessment, and evidence-based interventions. This article explores the management strategies for common symptoms encountered in palliative care practice. Stomatitis, xerostomia, dysphagia, nausea and vomiting, anorexia, constipation, dyspnea, and fatigue are among the symptoms reviewed.
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PMID:Management of symptoms other than pain. 1648 95

The aim of this article is to summarize the current evidence base about interventions that improve symptoms at the end of life. Moderate to severe symptoms are highly prevalent in the weeks and months before death: 1.4 million individuals have dyspnea; and 1 million have pain. Of those with pain, 300,000 want more pain relief. 700,000 may need more relief, but do not receive it because of the myth of opioid addiction; their physicians do not know how to manage the adverse effects of pain relieving therapies, or they don't know the various options that are available for pain relief. Of the 1 million Americans who die in hospitals, 324,000 had fatigue, 280,000 anorexia, 244,000 dyspnea, 232,000 xerostomia, 208,000 cough, 196,000 pain, 148,000 confusion, 148,000 depression, 140,000 nausea, 92,000 insomnia in 23, and 88,000 vomiting. This is caused in part by clinician ignorance. In a representative sample of oncologists, the most important source of information about symptom control was trial-and-error in practice. In addition, large, well-designed, well-controlled studies of patients at the end of life have not been performed. Clinical practice is guided by extrapolation of data from other populations and from anecdote. The system of care provided by hospice programs in the U.S. provides improved symptom control as compared with hospitals, home health agency, and nursing home systems. Population-based studies of prevalence are needed to gauge outcomes of the implementation of measures to relieve symptoms. Well-powered, definitive studies of both existing and new approaches in terminally ill patients with the most common symptoms are needed. The health care system interventions that are effective in hospice care must be studied so that they can be broadly applied to the care of all dying Americans.
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PMID:Interventions to manage symptoms at the end of life. 1649 73

This study involved longitudinal evaluations of symptom severity and describes the symptom patterns of 77 terminal cancer patients (median age: 62 years; 61% female), selected from 537 consecutive patients admitted to the Palliative Care Unit of the National Taiwan University Hospital. The most common primary cancer sites in these patients were lung (23.4%), liver (15.6%), and stomach (13%). Nineteen physical and psychological symptoms were assessed using different scales. The median number of symptoms was 11 (range: 1-18) on admission, among which weakness, fatigue, anorexia, pain, and depression were the most common. A comparison of the initial symptom severity scores with those at one week after admission and two days before death suggested six symptom change patterns: A: continuous static (restless/heat, abdominal fullness, constipation, dizziness, and insomnia); B: static-increase (fatigue, weakness, nausea/vomiting, taste alteration, dysphagia, diarrhea, dry mouth, and night sweats); C: decrease-static (pain and depression); D: decrease-increase (anorexia and dyspnea); E: static-decrease (aggression); and F: gradually decrease (anxiety). These six symptom patterns can be divided into two categories on the basis of the relative severity of symptoms between one week after admission and two days before death. The first category included patterns A, C, E and F, and the symptoms improved with palliative care. However, the symptoms in the second category (patterns B and D), which were associated with the anorexia-cachexia syndrome and dyspnea, did not show improvement. As symptom management is an essential component of palliative care, holistic care, which encompasses physical, psychosocial and spiritual aspects, represents a rational approach for the relief of these incurable symptoms at the end stage of life for these patients.
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PMID:Symptom patterns of advanced cancer patients in a palliative care unit. 1706 Feb 55


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